In our modern lives hunched over computers and screens of varying sizes, at Quay Health we are noticing an increase in neck pain and loss of the natural curve of the neck. You are probably wondering what you can do to compensate for this.
A simple exercise to do at home is to roll up a towel, lie down on a firm surface with it under your neck and then let your head drop slowly over the towel. Relax and take some deep breathes into your abdomen. This allows your neck to relax and help to restore it’s gentle forward curve. It takes the pressure off the muscles in your neck and shoulders, especially those little suboccipitals which connect the head to the neck and can be a cause of headaches. You may not be aware that the further your head travels forward in your daily tasks the heavier it becomes. This adds additional stress to the joints of the neck that don’t appreciate the additional load. For example a women’s head weighs approximately 5kgs and this can be increased to up to 11.5kgs depending on how far the head is forward. This leads to tightening of the shoulders, neck and head pain, fatigue and postural problems.
Below is a video of Dr Marti Harris, Quay Health’s Chiropractor, talking about how to do a rolled towel stretch for your neck and the benefits.
